Method of and apparatus for compressing gas.



A. w. FISCHER. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS .FOR COMPRBSSING GAS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.7,1908.

968,926., Patented Aug. 30, 1910.

' WITNESSES:

- sure.

'iinrrnn srnrns ADALBERT W. FISCHER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO AND KOERTING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING GAS.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 30, 11910.

Application filed January 7, 1908. Serial No. 409,643.

Gas, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My resent invention relates to a method of an apparatus for compressing air or other gases by means of the jet action of steam, and has for its object to improve the method and apparatus for obtaining such compression by carrying out the compression insuceessive'stages HI each of which the gas to be compressed first has velocity imparted to-it by a steam jet and then has its pressure raised by the conversion of the energy of velocity imparted to the gas by the steam into energy of pressure. he gas under the pressure given it at each stage, is acted on in thefo'l owing stage by the corres onding steam jet which wit out lowering t e pres sure of the as acted upon, first increases its velocity and then further increases its pres- By proceeding in this manner I am enabled witln a given steam supply pressure to build up the pressure of the as compressed to a point materially hi er than that to which the as at the initia pressure can he compresse by a single steam jet drawn: fiom a source of steam of the given supplypressure.

carrying out the invention I eatly improve the economy of the operation by condensing the steam at each stage and se stating it from the gas before subjecting t 1c latter to thenction of the steam jet in the following stage, thus avoiding any necessity for acting onthe dead steam.

The various features of novelty which characterize my'invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to" and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the invention,

' however, and the advantages possessed by it,

reference ma be had to the accompanying drawings an have illustrated an described in a somedescii tive matter inwhich I what diagrammatic manner one form of apparatus which maybe employed for carrylug out the invention.

n the drawings, A represents a source of steam supply such as a boiler from which runs a supply pipe A. In the form shown the compression is carried on in three stages. and there are three receiving tanks or chumbers B, B and B one for each stage.

Steam jet devices C, C and C discharge one into each of the tanks B, B", and B. Each of these steam jet devices, which may be alike and of any well known type employcd for such purposes, such for instance as is shown in- United States Patent Number 571,022, granted Louis Schutte, November 10, 1896, is supplied with steam from the supply pipe A through a suitable valve controlled connection C*. The apparatus shown 18 for compressing air, and the uninlet C to the mixing chamber (1 of the steam jet devices C is open to the atmosphere. The inlets C of the steam jet devices C and C are connected, to the receiver tanks B and B respectively by conduits C and C Preferably, to facilitate condensation, the lower end of each of the steam jet devices terminates Within the corresponding receiving tank in a tubular portion C having a pinrality of small ports C formed in its wall.

D represents a steam pump. which, drawing water through suitable supply pipe D, has its delivery pipe D connected to euch of the receiver tanks by suitable valve controlled connections D. The purpose of the water supply connections D is to supply condensing water to the receiving tanks to' condense the steam passing into the tank from the corresponding steam. jet device. ater cscupe pipes E, E E lead from the rcccivin tanks B, B and B" respectively. In the oi'm shown, pipes E and Ff have siphon extensions E which are of regulated height so that when the water in the tanks B and B rises to about the levels shown it will flow out of the receivingtnnk against the pressure of the atmosphere and the head due .to the elevation of the extension E above the upper end of the'pipe E. This elevation is of course graduated to the pres sures to be maintained in the receiving ranks B and B The escape of Water from the receiver B is controlled by a trap or float valve F having a cap F which intermittently fills with water and sinks to open the escape vent F and then is emptied of water by the gas pressure forcing the water in the hollow float out through the escape vent, whereupon the valve rises and closes the vent F 2 It will, of course, be understood that in place of this trap other well known traps may be employed, and that this trap may be employed in lieu of the siphon extensions E shown in conjunction with receivers B and B whenever desirable.

In operation, steam passing from the pipe A to the steam jet device C. draws in air from the atmosphere C which is given a high velocity in the mixing chamber C and then has its energy of motion converted into pressure in the cone C of the'steam jet device, the air being delivered at this increased pressure to the receiving chamber B. Steam passing into the receiving chamber B through the steam jet apparatus C is condensed by the water entering the chamber through the supply connection D The condensing water and water of con- ,the high pressure tank B By preceeding in accordance with the method disclosed, and by utilizing the apparatus disclosed, I am able to compress a1r or the like gas to an ultimate pressure in the final receiving tank greatly exceeding that which can be had with the same initial steam pressure in a singlestage jet compression. For instance with the apparatus disclosed I can force air into the receiving tank B against a pressure head which would be sufficient to prevent the device C from moving any air at all if its air supply was at atmospheric pressure instead of at the pressure of chamber B In practice the number of stages hecessary to allow of the most economic use of steam depends on the supply pressure of the air or gas compressed,

the final pressure of the air and gas and thea body of compressed gas into the chamber into which the final steam jet discharges. The only difference in operation, when the invention is used for the two purposes, is in the terminal pressures. the object is to obtain a supply of compressed air, the pressure at the inlet C of the steamjet device C is the pressure of the.

atmosphere, while the pressure in the final discharge tank B is the pressure of the compressed air supply. In producing a vacuum or low pressure by the use of the so Ordinarily, where apparatus disclosed, the pressure in tank B is ordinarily that of the atmosphere, to which the tank is then preferably open, while the pressure in the inlet C of the jet C is the pressure of the chamber being exhausted.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and "desire to secure by Letters Patent is: r

1.' The method of compressing gas which consists in raising its pressure in successive stages by acting on the gas with a steam jet to lmpart velocity to the gas and then converting the energy of velocity of the gas into energy of pressure at each stage, and in condensing the steam employed at each stage, and separating the condensed steam from the gas before delivering the latter to the following stage.

2. Apparatus for, compressing gas comprising in combination a plurality of steam et devices arranged in series, a connection between the delivery end of each of the steam jet devices but the last one with the mixing chamber of the following steam jet device, a connection for supplying gas to be compressed to the mixing chamber of the first of said devices, and means forcondensing the steam supplied by each jet device and before delivering the air to the next jet device...

3. Mcans forcompressing gas comprising 1n combination a steam source, a series of steam et devices supplied with steam from .said source of steam, a receiving tank for each steam jet device into which the-latter discharges, means for supplying gas to be compressed to the mixing chamber of the initial one of said series of steam jet devices,

' 4:. Means for compressing gas comprising in combination asteam source, a ser es of steam et devices supplied with steam from said source of steam, a receiving tank for 5 each steam jet device into which the latter dis chamber of the steam et device next in the series, and means for condensing the steam passed into each receiving tank.

5. Means for compressing gas comprising in combination a source of steam, a series of steam jet devices supplied with steam from said source of steam, a receiving tank for each steam et devlce into which the latter discharges, means for supplying gas to be compressed to the mixing chamber of the initial one of said series-of steam jet de-.

vices, means for conveying gasv from the upper end of each of the receiving'chambers but the final one to the mix ng chamber of the. steam jet device next in the series, means for supplying condensing Water to the steam passing from the steam jet, and means for carrying off the condensing Water and the Water of condensation from the steam jet devices, arranged tomaintain a substantially constant Water level in said tanks.

ADALBERT W. FISCHER.-

Nitnesses: I

D. STEWART,. I HENRY T. BENNETT. 

